Machine for making polygonal caps



H. OSSWALD MACHINE FOR MAKING POLYGONAL CAPS Filed Dec. 8. 1920 Patented Nov. 25, 1924.

UNETEE STATES HERMAN OSSWALD, O18 RICHMOND HILL, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR MAKING PO'LYGONAL CAPS.

Application filed December 8, 1920.

Z '0 M1 whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN OSSWALD, a

citizen of the United States, and resident of Richmond Hill, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Polygonal Caps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for making caps of metal or other suitable material of the kind used to close the top of talcum powder boxes and like containers. More particularly the invention relates to machines for making caps having a polygonal closed end or head with or without a cylindrical neck. The head of the cap need not be closed or solid but may be open or perforated or otherwise formed.

The object of the invention is to provide a pair of dies adapted to produce a. polygonal cap quickly and accurately and which dies may be used and operated in any suitable manner. Preferably, but not necessarily, one of the said dies is relatively stationary or fixed, while the other die is relatively movable. Both dies, however, are rotatable and a well known manner of operating the dies consists in mounting them on chucks in any well known type of automatic threading or cap making machine and then operate the movable die into contact with the fixed die to form the contour of the cap from a blank while both dies rotate.

Such machines are well known in the art and may be of the type illustrated in my pending application Serial Number 341,421. The machine is not illustrated herein, the chucks serving as means for operating the dies for the purposes of illustration.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the dies are provided with a plurality of co-operating members or surfaces for producing the polygonal cap, the said members or surfaces being respectively one less in number than the polygonal cap is intended to have sides or surfaces.

The one die is an inner die for the support of the blank and is preferably in the form of a polygon having fiat sides, while the other or outer die is provided with a plurality of sectors or rounded teeth or elements adapted to co-operate with the inner flat die surfaces to form the sides of the polygonal cap.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following specification read Serial No. 429,151.

in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a side view of the two dies in position to commence operation on the cap blank.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the dies on line 22 of Figure 1 with parts omitted.

Fig. 3 isa sectional view of parts of the dies illustrating the beginning of the operation.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 but illustrates the position of the dies as in Figure 3.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate further steps in the operation of forming the cap.

Fig. 7 is a top view, and

Fig. 8 is a side view of the finished cap.

Referring to Figure 1 the reference numeral 10 denotes a stationary rotatable chuck to which is secured, as by screwing for instance, the inner die which is formed or provided with a cylindrical neck 12 and a polygonal head 13 having the sides 14:, 14. The cylindrical cap blank 15 is positioned or placed on the said die by any suitable means such for instance as disclosed in my said pending application. The numeral 16 denotes the movable chuck to which is secured the outer die comprising a polygonal member 17 having rounded projections or teeth 18, 18 equal in number to the said flat sides M of the inner die. The member 17 is seated on the neck 19 of the chuck 16 as shown in the drawing in Figure 3 and is secured to the chuck by a screw 20. Between the latter and the member 17 is interposed a washer or cap neck forming member 21. A pin 22 prevents relative motion between the chuck 16 and the polygonal member 17.

It will be understood that during the operation the cap blank is first placed on the inner die, after which the movable or outer die is brought into contact with the fixed die under pressure, both dies being rotated continuously during the operation. WVhen the cap is finished, the movable die is moved away from the fixed die and the cap removed in any suitable manner.

It will be noted from an inspection of Figure 2 that the polygonal members 13 and 17 are secured to their respective chucks in predetermined fixed relative positions whereby when the dies are brought together, one of the recesses or depressions 25 between adjacent members 18 is aligned with one of the points 27 formed by the intersection of any two sides 14 on the die head 18. Also that the sides 26 of the members 18 are equal in length to the sides 14.

The operation is as follows: A cylindrical cap blank is placed on the inner die as shown in Figure 1 and the dies are brought together. The position of the dies just prior to the cap forming operation is shown in Figures 1 and 2. Continuing the movement of the movable die towards the fixed die, the dies assume the positions shown in Figures 3 and 4, where it will be seen, that the member 21 has begun to form the neck of the cap and on the die member 12, and the polygonal member 17 is in contact with the blank 15 and has formed one corner 31 of the polygonal cap head.

As the two dies now rotate in opposite directions, it will be observed, that the members 18 roll on the flat surfaces 14 and contequently flatten the metal or material of the blank and as the dies rotate, the cap blank is formed into a finished cap With polygonal head.

Thus in Figure 5 about half of the cap head has been formed while in Figure 6 the polygonal head of the cap is completed. And, of course, at the same time, the neck 30 of the cap has been tormed be tween the members 12 and 21.

The material of the cap blank is rolled flat between the members 18 and the sides 1 1 and during this operation, the cap blank is shifted relatively to the die so as to permit oi the required formation. At the same time the head 35 is formed, the neck 30 is formed as aforesaid and because of the shitting of the blank on the inner die, a cap is -formed with a polygonal head with a given number of sides and which head is larger than the head 13 of the die, while the neck is shaped with a diameter to permit it to be removed from the inner die.

, Circum'lerentially the cap is formed by the progressive flattening of the material in the blank whereby it is formed into a polygonal head and laterally the cap is formed by drawing the material between the members 12, 14, 17 and 21.

In this manner a finished cap having a cylindrical neck and a polygonal head is formed as shown in Figures 7 and 8. The polygonal head of the cap has one side more than the number of sides in the polygon 18 which is necessary in order to remove the cap from the die. This feature is further apparent from the fact that inasmuch as the neck 30 of the finished cap is smaller in diameter than the polygonal head 35, yet must be removable out over the polygonal die 13, the polygonal head 35 of the cap must be larger than the polygonal head 13 of the die.

The detailed construction of the several parts of the dies and their component parts may be changed and I do not wish to be limited to the exact disclosure otherwise than within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. The mechanical process for forming a cap having a polygonal head from a cylindrical cap blank, which consists in placing the said cap blank on a die having a polyg onal head with fiat sides and and thereafter forming the polygonal head of the blank by progressively flattening the cap blank on the flat sides of the said polygonal die, while permitting the said cap blank to shift relatively to the said die whereby to form a polygonal cap having a number of sides greater than the number of sides of the said pol 'gonal die head.

2. Means for forming a cap with a polygonal head comprising in combination a polygonal die for supporting the cap blank, said die having a given number of flat adjoining sides forming a polygon, the number of sides being one less than the number of flat sides in the cap to be formed, a second die and means for rotating said dies to progressively form the flat sides of the polygonal cap between them.

3. Means for forming a cap with a polygonal head having adjoining fiat sides comprising in combination a die for supporting the cap blank, said die having a polygonal head formed of adjoining fiat sides provided with as many sides less one as the number of sides in the, cap to be formed, a second die, a plurality of forming memhere on said second die and means for rotating the said dies to progressively form the said polygonal cap head between the said polygonal die head and the said forming members.

4:. Means for forming a cap with a polygonal head comprising in combination a die for supporting the cap blank, a polygonal head with flat sides on said die, a second die, a polygonal member on said second die having rounded sides and means for rotating the said dies with the said rounded sides in contact with the said flat sides to progressively form the said polygonal cap head between the same.

5. Means for forming a cap with a polygonal head comprising in combination a die for supporting the cap blank, a polygonal head on said die having flat sides, a second die provided with a plurality of curved forming members circumferentially thereof, and means for rotating the said two dies in contact with each other to progressively and stepwise flatten the cap blank between the said polygonal die head and the said curved forming members to form a polygonal head on the said cap blank.

6. Means for forming a cap of the character described comprising in combination a die for supporting a cylindrical cap blank, :1 second die, means for rotating the said two dies in contact With each other, means on said second die for flattening the said cap blank on the said supporting die a portion of the blank at a time to form a series of flat sides on said blank at an angle to each other, While the said blank is shifted eccentrically'on the said supporting die.

7. Means for forming a cap of the character described comprising in combination a cap blank supporting die having a cylindrical neck and a polygonal head, a forming die comprising a plurality of symmetrical forming members placed in predetermined position relative to the said polyg onal head of the supporting die and a cylindrical forming member, and means for rotating the said two dies with the said cylindrical forming member in contact With the said neck and the said symmetrical forming members in contact with the said polygonal head to form a cap with a cylindrical neck and a polygonal head.

HERMAN OSSWALD. 

